KATHMANDU: An increasing number of users are found attracted towards the ‘Nagarik App’. The app was launched by the government on January 15 around the slogan ‘Support of Communication and Information Technology, Government Services in the Hands (of Citizens).’
Three hundred eleven thousand one hundred and fifty-three users have downloaded the app as of Wednesday, the national Information Technology Center said.
Only 27 per cent among the users downloading the app have been verified so far.
The Center officials shared that many complaints were received that there was no verification even after downloading the app. Along with users who have entered into the system after the verification many users have been complaining through telephone about this problem, Information Officer at the Center, Ramesh Prasad Pokharel, said.
According to Pokharel, many complaints are related to Nepal Telecom and the Ministry of Home Affairs. It is said there is a problem in verification as the SIM card the user is using at present is not registered in his/her name or due to the mistake of the Telecom employees not registering the correct spelling of the user’s name while registering the SIM card.
Similarly, many users complained that the particulars of their citizenship certificate were not matching.
Although more than 300 thousand people have downloaded the app in six days, 225 thousand or 72 per cent users have not been able to verify.
Pokharel acknowledged that although the users have been found attracted to the app which is in trial, problems have been faced in the functioning of the app due to various reasons.
It is said problem in verification is due to information like the name, surname and date of birth etc. of the user in the citizenship certificate, passport or the voter identity card not matching with the data of the same maintained by the Ministry of Home Affairs or the user using the SIM card registered in another person’s name.
The Center’s data shows that so far 31 thousand 676 users have verified their passport, 28 thousand users their voter identity card, 39 thousand 715 users their PAN number, 19 thousand 109 users have verified School Leaving Certificate (SLC) and 8,486 users higher education certificates through the app.
The government launched the app with the goal of providing services through an integrated platform by digitalizing all kinds of services provided by the government.
In the initial phase, the digital identity of a citizen is established in the app using the details of an individual retained by the Home Ministry, the Election Commission and the Department of Passport.
The plan is also to add the National Identity Card in the app in the coming days. The Ministry of Home Affairs has said it has begun developing an online system for correcting the mistakes after a majority of the users of the app complained of mistakes in the information related to their citizenship certificate.
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